Barbra Streisand Slams Trump’s ‘Unchecked Ego’ as POTUS Hints at Kennedy Center Demolition

Barbra Streisand is making her feelings on the latest development in Donald Trump‘s Kennedy Center saga clear.

In a Thursday (Sept. 17) post on her website, the Kennedy Center honoree began by recapping some of the history of the Washington, D.C., cultural institution. “In 1964, in the aftermath of President John F. Kennedy’s shocking assassination, Congress passed legislation designating the National Cultural Center as a living memorial to him,” she wrote. “Re-naming the Cultural Center in JFK’s honor was a fitting choice, because he was a true champion of the arts.”

“In 2008, I was deeply honored to be included in the 31st annual class of Kennedy Center Honorees,” she continued. “For me, and for so many artists, that honor represented something larger than a career recognition. It represented a belief in the importance of art to the life of a democracy.”

Streisand went on to say that because of her personal history with the center, she finds it “galling and painful to witness” the twice-impeached POTUS’ large-scale shake-up of the Kennedy Center that has been ongoing since his second term began.

“When Donald Trump attempted to put his name alongside the late President Kennedy’s on the building’s entrance, the move was met with widespread opposition from artists and much of the public,” she shared. “And now, a thoroughly defeated Trump has announced that the Kennedy Center is being closed for what the completely stacked board describes as a major renovation. Oddly, when Trump’s name was still on the building, there was no discussion of closing it!”

“You can easily imagine my indignation at seeing this revered institution become the subject of such a bitter struggle over one man’s name and unchecked ego,” the Oscar winner added, encouraging American readers to ensure that they vote in the upcoming midterms.

Billboard has reached out to the White House for comment.

The singer’s statement comes shortly after a federal judge ordered that the Trump administration must give at least 30 days’ notice before it demolishes the Kennedy Center, something many have started to fear will take place after the president was photographed inside Air Force One reviewing a poster that read, “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED.”

The center temporarily closed on Wednesday (Sept. 16) to address safety risks, according to leadership; however, the sudden closure drew suspicion because a judge had blocked Trump’s latest attempt to rename the building after himself just hours prior. The president also stated that day that the institution would be “ripped down” without his support and described it as being in “bad shape, very dangerous shape,” according to CNN.

Trump’s push and pull with the Kennedy Center first began at the beginning of his second White House turn, when he replaced much of the board and installed himself as chair. In December, that board voted to officially change the name of the institution to the Trump-Kennedy Center, which a federal judge blocked in May.